Connecting the Dots Between ALEC, Wal-Mart, the NRA, and the Florida Law Cited By Some to Immunize...

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FACT SHEET: Connecting the Dots Between ALEC, Wal-Mart, the NRA, Common Cause + Center for Media and Democracy

and the Florida Law Cited By Some to Immunize Trayvon Martins Killer March 23, 2012 | Page 1 of 3

March 23, 2012 Contact: Mary Boyle (202) 736-5770Nikolina Lazic (608) 260-9713

Connecting the Dots Between ALEC, Wal-Mart, the NRA, and the Florida Law

Cited By Some to Immunize Trayvon Martins Killer

Prepared by Lisa Graves, Center for Media and Democracy, and Nick Surgey, Common Cause

Early on the evening of February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, 17, anAfrican-American, in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Trayvon, whose body was not identified until days

later, was walking home after buying Skittles and tea. Zimmerman claimed the shooting was in self-defense.

Citing a recent Florida statute known as the shoot first law or Castle Doctrine, police did not charge

Zimmerman and did not seize the gun used to kill Trayvon.

That Florida law became the template for model legislation endorsed and promoted nationally by theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a non-profit entity funded by major corporations and

interest groups including Koch Industries and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The bill expanded

the long-standing right of self-defense by extending criminal and civil immunity to shooters who feel

threatened by another, creating a statutory right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force,

including deadly force. . .

ALEC has an annual budget of approximately $7 million and claims that hundreds of its model bills becomelaw each year. It hides its inner workings, including the fact that its model bills often are drafted and always

are pre-approved by corporations and lobbyists.ALEC calls itself the nations largest group of state

legislators, but 98% of its funding comes from corporations and sources other than dues from elected

officials.

In August 2005, in Grapevine, Tex., NRA lobbyistMarion Hammer asked legislators and lobbyists at aclosed-door meeting of ALECs Criminal Justice Task Force to adopt the Florida Castle Doctrine bill a s an

ALEC model bill. The NRA said her pitch was well received, and the bill was approved unanimously.1

At that time, ALECs public-private Criminal Justice Task Force was co-chaired by Wal-Mart

2

--the nationslargest seller of guns and ammunition.3

ALECs staffer for the task force was Chris Oswald a former State

Liaison for the NRA.

Corporate representatives and state legislators onALEC Task Forces have equal votes on proposed modellegislation,4 so the Florida law was ratified by Wal-Martand its 2005 public sector co-chair, Texas Rep.

Ray Allen, along with other state legislators and corporate lobbyists. It was endorsed by a representative of

the Koch-funded Heritage Foundation, according to minutes of the meeting issued by ALEC.5


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In September 2005, that bill was adopted by ALEC's National Board of Directors, which has a procedure toallow model bills to be approved if there is no objection. The public sector portion of the board was chairedby Georgia state Rep. Earl Ehrhart; the corporate board included Koch Industries, Altria (parent of Philip

Morris), Coors, Bell South, and Verizon. (ALEC says its corporate board does not vote. Corporations and

elected officials have an equal vote in the task forces, where model bills are adopted, however.)

At the nextALEC Criminal Justice Task Force meeting, in Coeur DAlene, Idaho, in 2006, the NRAsrepresentative to ALEC, Tara Mica,reported on the continued success in securing passage of ALECs

Castle Doctrine bill in otherstates.6

In 2007, anALEC Legislative Report Card, boasted thattheALEC/NRA Castle Doctrine bill had beenintroduced or passed in numerous states.7 ALEC also highlighted ALEC legislators who had introduced

versions of the model bill, including Texas state Sen. Jeff Wentworth and Rep. Joe Driver.8

To date, more than two dozen states have adopted Castle Doctrine bills with ALEC/ NRA DNA.9

Wisconsin

Gov. Scott Walker, an ALEC alum, signed into law an NRA-backed bill with some provisions similar to the

ALEC bill in 2011. Similar bills are pending in other states.

The Florida bill that became the ALEC model was signed on April 26, 2005 by Gov. Jeb Bush, with the NRAslobbyist, Marion Hammer, standing alongside.10

NRA PresidentWayne LaPierre said NRA lobbyist and former presidentHammer conceived of theFlorida bill and lobbied it into law.11

She ridiculed opponents of the bill, calling them hysterical, and helped

the bills co-sponsors, Florida stateSen. Durell Peaden (R-Crestview) and Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala),get it passed.

In 2005, Peaden was anALEC leader, serving on the Executive Committee of the Health and HumanServices Task Force.12

Baxley, a former head of the Christian Coalition in Florida, is also a member ofALEC. His legislativeresume includes sponsorship of bills creating license plates honoring the Confederacy and the Rev. Martin

Luther King Jr.,13

Opponents of the Castle Doctrine bill predicted it would immunize racially motivated

killers. Baxley recently said the law should not protectTrayvon Martins shooter.

As noted byALECexposed.org, ALECs current crime task force, which continues to endorse the ALEC/NRACastle Doctrine, includes Florida Rep. Ray Pilon.14

The NRA has pushed several other ALEC model bills to change state laws on firearms:http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Guns,_Prisons,_Crime,_and_Immigration .
http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Guns,_Prisons,_Crime,_and_Immigrationhttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Guns,_Prisons,_Crime,_and_Immigrationhttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Guns,_Prisons,_Crime,_and_Immigration


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Endnotes

1. http://www.prwatch.org/files/NRA_2005.png; see also,http://bit.ly/PRW_Trayvon

2. http://www.prwatch.org/files/Wal-Mart_Co-Chair.png

3. http://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.png

4. http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Decoding_ALEC_PR



7. http://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/

Template.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecard

8. Ibid.

9. http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http://www.nraila.org/Issues/

FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204

10. http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/File:NRA_lobbyist_watches_Jeb_sign.png , available via

http://bit.ly/GH2zwp

11. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/

nra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/

12. http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/conferencecd2005/docs/bio_peaden.pdf

13. http://bit.ly/TP_Baxley

14. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_Safety_and_Elections_Task_Force
http://www.prwatch.org/files/NRA_2005.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/NRA_2005.pnghttp://bit.ly/PRW_Trayvonhttp://bit.ly/PRW_Trayvonhttp://bit.ly/PRW_Trayvonhttp://www.prwatch.org/files/Wal-Mart_Co-Chair.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/Wal-Mart_Co-Chair.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Decoding_ALEC_PRhttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Decoding_ALEC_PRhttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/File:NRA_lobbyist_watches_Jeb_sign.pnghttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/File:NRA_lobbyist_watches_Jeb_sign.pnghttp://bit.ly/GH2zwphttp://bit.ly/GH2zwphttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/conferencecd2005/docs/bio_peaden.pdfhttp://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/conferencecd2005/docs/bio_peaden.pdfhttp://bit.ly/TP_Baxleyhttp://bit.ly/TP_Baxleyhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_Safety_and_Elections_Task_Forcehttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_Safety_and_Elections_Task_Forcehttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_Safety_and_Elections_Task_Forcehttp://bit.ly/TP_Baxleyhttp://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/conferencecd2005/docs/bio_peaden.pdfhttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/01/%0bnra_plans_to_push_expanded_gun_law_beyond_florida/http://bit.ly/GH2zwphttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/File:NRA_lobbyist_watches_Jeb_sign.pnghttp://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://web.archive.org/web/20110111055017/http:/www.nraila.org/Issues/%0bFactSheets/Read.aspx?id=204http://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://web.archive.org/web/20081106040540/http:/www.alec.org/AM/%0bTemplate.cfm?Section=Legislative_Scorecardhttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Decoding_ALEC_PRhttp://www.prwatch.org/files/ALEC_minutes_05.pnghttp://www.prwatch.org/files/Wal-Mart_Co-Chair.pnghttp://bit.ly/PRW_Trayvonhttp://www.prwatch.org/files/NRA_2005.png

Connecting the Dots Between ALEC, Wal-Mart, the NRA, and the Florida Law Cited By Some to Immunize...

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